Listen to Most Popular Audiobooks in Classics, American Literature

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Title: Ethan Frome

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: John MacDonald

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-04-13

Publisher: Audio Book Contractors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In a small New England town, Ethan Frome aches for the love of his wife's cousin who is sharing their home. This beautifully written story is full of love, irony, and, ultimately, deep tragedy.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Exactly as expected.

Excellent

I was very satified with the quick service that I received. Ofcourse I will continue to use the service when it is permitted for me to do so.

Thank You

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Title: To a God Unknown

Author: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott (introduction)

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-12

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 152 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set in familiar Steinbeck territory, To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and, ultimately, to understand the ways of God.

Members Reviews:

My Favorite Steinbeck; Terrible and Beautiful

I love Steinbeck and this has, for many years, been my favorite and was not available on Audible until recently. This early Steinbeck has exceptional writing and numerous elements appearing in his later works, in a pure, condensed, and powerful form. This novel has potent mystical imagery which might not sit well with some religious folks. Perhaps that is why this novel does not get the attention I think it deserves. The excellently narration complements the intensely beautiful and terrible writing. Like the Grapes of Wrath, this is an intense read without a lot of fun but with a thoughtful concentrated unflinching examination of life and death.

Classic and Amazing

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is so good, and the narrator's voice matches the idea of the characters and setting perfectly. Such a good listen. :)

Early Steinbeck and Good Narrator

I've recently read and listened to most of Steinbeck's major works, and now want to work through his lesser known works.

To a God Unknown was a good story. The subject matter and themes were interesting to me, so that probably helped my appreciation of it all. While this book definitely isn't as good as his other pieces, it was interesting to see all the hints of things to come.

Jonathan Davis did a very good job as the narrator. Very professional and he suited the material very well.

Interesting minor, early Steinbeck novel

An early Steinbeck filled with amazing biblical, pagan, and Greek images. The novel essentially relates the relationship between Joseph and his homesteading out West with his family. It is a story of four brothers who move from the East (Vermont) to the West (California) to homestead the land. Joseph Wayne isn't the oldest, but he is the leader/patriarch of the brothers ever since their dying father gave him his blessing (hints at Isaacs blessing on Jacob). Joseph is convinced that his father's spirit abides in a large oak tree on his farm. He communes, talks, seeks advice and sacrifices to the Oak.

It isn't my favorite Steinbeck, but there were parts that were amazing and powerful.

Great performance, very good story

Where does To a God Unknown rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

A very well narrated audiobook. Solid performance!

What other book might you compare To a God Unknown to and why?

Compared to other works by John Steinbeck I'd say this one is a bit less compelling.

Definitely a good read, full of symbolism in the good old-fashioned and thought provoking Steinbeck style, but (to me) it still ranks below his other works.

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Although I occasionally disagreed with the narrator's interpretation of the tone, he brought a very credible rendition of the characters' voices, accents and feelings throughout most of the story.

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Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 10-08-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the classic story of fantasy that has delighted readers young and old for decades. Dorothy finds herself transplanted to the magical land of Oz when her house is sucked up by a tornado. To get back home she must follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard to help her get back to Kansas. Along the way she meets several interesting characters, including the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, who join her on her travels to ask the Wizard for help of their own.

Members Reviews:

5 stars There's something fun and very "escapist" about Oz

3.5 stars

There's something fun and very "escapist" about Oz. It's a nice trip into a fantasy land where nothing too deep or evil is happening. I think there's a little bit of meaning in some of the things. Such as a man without a heart not realizing he has all the qualities of a person with one, and so on.

Overall it's just one of those quick, easy, breeze through reads that I might not enjoy so much if I just read it as an adult. But because it's part of my childhood I can overlook the lacking parts and just go for the ride.

A classic of American Literature

Obviously there is more material in the book than the movie, including more detailed back stories for the Tin Woodsman and the flying monkeys. Some readers may find some material redundant (for example, there are many scenes at Emerald City). However, this is a lively read, and anyone who is interested in American Literature and/or exploring more of Oz, should enjoy this book.

The Book is always better

The book is always better than the movie. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting the two versions of this story. The written story was very different than the movie but both adventures bring you back to "there's no place like home."

Great Book

Great read. I loved it. It's quite the adventurous book. There is so much going on, so many different characters you meet, and so many different creatures in the book that you rarely get bored. I was rather intrigued from start to finish. There were a lot of times when I would find myself getting lost in the book, and picturing myself in that situation. The book is truly magical and wondrous and really enjoyable.

Excellent book and an excellent read

Excellent book and an excellent read. It is no wonder it has endeared the hearts of millions of children from one generation to the other.

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Title: The Masque of the Red Death

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: David Ian Davies

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-23-12

Publisher: One Voice Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Prince Prospero invites several dozen of the local nobility to his castle for protection against an oncoming plague, the Red Death. Prospero orders his guests to attend a masked ball and, amidst a general atmosphere of debauchery and depravity, notices the entry of a mysterious hooded stranger dressed all in red.

Members Reviews:

mediocre

The editing was frustratingly choppy, and the reader must have had strep throat or something. His rasp sounds painful.

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Title: The Long Valley

Author: John Steinbeck, John H. Timmerman (Introduction)

Narrator: Holter Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-12

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 64 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Today, nearly 40 years after his death, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck remains one of America's greatest writers and cultural figures. We have begun publishing his many works for the first time as blackspine Penguin Classics, featuring eye-catching, newly commissioned art. This season we continue with the seven spectacular and influential books East of Eden, Cannery Row, In Dubious Battle, The Long Valley, The Moon Is Down, The Pastures of Heaven, and Tortilla Flat. Penguin Classics is proud to present these seminal works to a new generation of listeners and to the many who revisit them again and again.

Adopting the structure and themes of Arthurian legend, in Tortilla Flat John Steinbeck creates a Camelot on a shabby hillside above Monterey on the California coast and peoples it with a colorful band of knights. As he chronicles the thoughts and emotions, temptations and lusts of the knights,Steinbeck spins a tale as compelling as the famous legends of the Round Table.

Members Reviews:

Generally Good Stories, Some are Great

This is a selection of short stories about the California Salinas Valley. The collection includes The Chrysanthemums, The White Quail, Flight, The Snake, Breakfast, The Raid, The Harness, The Vigilante, Johnny Bear, The Red Pony, The Murder, and Saint Katy the Virgin. These stories all have at least a touch of the darkness common to much of Steinbecks work, yet almost all of the stories have a strange, subtle and almost mystical power. These stories are generally good, some are great, some are OK. I really liked the voice and tone of the stories and the narration was excellent. This collection pairs very nicely with The Pastures of Heaven.

GREAT

What did you love best about The Long Valley?

The varied stories

If youve listened to books by John Steinbeck and John H. Timmerman (Introduction) before, how does this one compare?

good as always

What about Holter Grahams performance did you like?

his voice

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

unanswered questions

Any additional comments?

the stories ended sp abruptly that I was into the next before I knew it. I did not like that I had no time to process what I had just heard

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Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Bob Sessions

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-28-12

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Penguin Classics presents Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, adapted for listening and available as a digital audiobook as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by the actor Bob Sessions.

"Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers - stern and wild ones - and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss."

Fiercely romantic and hugely influential, The Scarlet Letter is the tale of Hester Prynne, imprisoned, publicly shamed, and forced to wear a scarlet for committing adultery and bearing an illegitimate child, Pearl. In their small Puritan village, Hester and her daughter struggle to survive. In this searing study of the tension between private and public existence, Hester Prynnes inner strength and quiet dignity secure her place as one of the first great heroines of American fiction.

Part of a collection of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives, the Penguin English Library series offers affordable, collectable, quality productions that are perfect for on-the-go listening.

Members Reviews:

Good reading of a classic

It's a great book. Only a bit wordy. Overall I enjoyed listening to it. Nice

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Title: Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living

Subtitle: A Handbook for the Damned Human Race

Author: Lin Salamo (editor), Victor Fischer (editor), Michael B. Frank (editor), Mark Twain

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-30-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 669 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Irreverent, charming, and eminently quotable, this handbook - an eccentric etiquette guide for the human race - contains 69 aphorisms, anecdotes, whimsical suggestions, maxims, and cautionary tales from Mark Twains private and published writings. It dispenses advice and reflections on family life and public manners; opinions on topics such as dress, health, food, and childrearing and safety; and more specialized tips, such as those for dealing with annoying salesmen and burglars.

Culled from Twains personal letters, autobiographical writings, speeches, novels, and sketches, these pieces are delightfully fresh, witty, startlingly relevant, and bursting with Twains characteristic ebullience for life. They also remind us exactly how Mark Twain came to be the most distinctive and well-known American literary voice in the world. These texts, some of them new or out of print for decades, have been selected and meticulously prepared by the editors at the Mark Twain Project.

Critic Reviews:

This wonderful book illustrates precisely why we can never have enough Twain. His humor is timeless, his wisdom about all things without equal. (Ken Burns, American director and producer)

This is a masterfully edited compendium that does Twain proud. It captures the note-taking, aphorism-creating, angry-letter-writing essence of Twains brain in a way essential, I think, to understanding the man, and by extension, the history of the United States and the nature of life on Earth. (Dave Eggers)

This book is a delightful read all the way through. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Members Reviews:

Mark Twain is Hilarious!

Mark Twain is insightful and funny and no matter how much time passes his work will still be relevant. He just gets people, and he knows how to take everyday stories and bring out the humor in them. I loved it!

Some of Twain's funniest advice/opinions!

What did you like best about this story?

I have read almost all of Twain's books over the years. What I so liked about this one is that some of the best snippets are taken from his many and varied writings and presented under the tongue-in-cheek title of "Helpful Hints for Good Living". Much of the book is amusing in the very least and outrageously funny at times!

What about Grover Gardners performance did you like?

Gardner's reading is a bit quick at times. It is not what I would call restful. But then, it is fitting for the subject matter. I feel as though Twain might have narrated that way too.

Any additional comments?

If you like Mark Twain, you will like this collection. If you are unfamiliar with Twain, this may give you some idea of what his various books are like as you hear selections from them.

Good Living, Good Listening

Any additional comments?

Bravo to the academics who collated and collected Twain essays for this piece, and bravo that it finally has become an audio book. Twain's mellifluous linguistic prestidigitation benefits greatly from oral application, and this engaging dispensation satiates and satisfies both in intensity and dosage.

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Title: Kate Chopin Collection

Subtitle: The Awakening and Selected Short Stories

Author: Kate Chopin

Narrator: Victoria Mcgee, Jane Leclercq

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-08-12

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

From 1892 to 1895, Chopin wrote short stories for both children and adults which were published in such magazines as Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, The Century Magazine, and The Youth's Companion. Her major works were two short story collections, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897). Her important short stories included "Desiree's Baby", a tale of miscegenation in antebellum Louisiana (published in 1893), "The Story of an Hour" (1894), and "The Storm "(1898).

"The Storm" is a sequel to "The 'Cadian Ball," which appeared in her first collection of short stories, Bayou Folk. Chopin also wrote two novels: At Fault (1890) and The Awakening (1899), which are set in New Orleans and Grand Isle, respectively. The people in her stories are usually inhabitants of Louisiana. Many of her works are set in Natchitoches in North Central Louisiana.

Within a decade of her death, Chopin was widely recognized as one of the leading writers of her time. In 1915, Fred Lewis Pattee wrote, "some of [Chopin's] work is equal to the best that has been produced in France or even in America. [She displayed] what may be described as a native aptitude for narration amounting almost to genius."

Members Reviews:

Out of Date

Late nineteenth century time period. Depressed wife and mother. Unconcerned husband. Could not finish this one.

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Title: Travels in Alaska

Author: John Muir

Narrator: Noah Waterman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-26-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 64 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"In mid-July of 1879, John Muir sailed for the first time through the sheer-walled fjords of Alaska's Inside Passage. 'Never before this,' he wrote, 'had I been embosomed in scenery so hopelessly beyond description.' During the previous 15 years, Muir had vanished into the north woods of Canada, walked a thousand miles from Kentucky to the Gulf of Mexico, and nested himself in the granite heart of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Wild nature burned with volcanic intensity in the core of John Muir's soul. And here - amid the mountains, glaciers, and islands of Alaska - he found a wildness to match his own." (Richard Nelson)

Members Reviews:

Book great, narration destroys

This is a wonderful book of Muir's trip to Alaska in the late 1800's, full of delightful detail about geography, views, native culture and great stories ab out both Alaska and his travels.

However, the narration is appalling and destroys the beauty of the book. The narrator speaks VERY quickly, in a sing-song sort of style with no regard for the text and no attempt to interpret what he is reading as most of the good narrators do. The same style, inflection and speed apply even when he is reading stories iwth different characters or describing Muir's first view of Glacier Bay and Muir's corresponding awe. The style is frustrating at best and I found it infuriating after a very short while. As a result, the book is very difficult to listen to (and I am a native Eastener used to fast speech). I had to resort to running the book on a slower rate on my I-Pod to get anything which allowed me to enjoy even a little of the beauty of the book - however this creates an echo. The echo, though, is better than the breakneck narration as taped.

What a pity. This is a book that deserves a wonderful narrator with some acting ability to interpret the text. Think how great it could be, for instance, with a James Earl Jones sort of voice. As it is, a wonderful book is destroyed.

Listen to the book for the text which is a wonderful narrative of Alaska. Just be prepared to have to deal with a very poor narration.

Slow it down

I can't say much for the content of the book yet, but the narrator seems to be engaged in an attempt to set a new record to read the book the fastest. It's so hurried as to make it tense to listen to.

Don't waste your $ on audiobook, read the book

I am halfway through this listen and find the story fascinating, the descriptives of Alaska and its inhabitants a century ago incredible. However, the reader Noah Waterman reads so fast, like he can't wait to get it over with, so that the grandeur of the descriptives are lost in speed, the flavor and ambience I had expected are washed away in hurry hurry hurry. I do plan to stay with this to the end but I was sorely disappointed. Being a long-time user of audiobooks, this is the first one I wish I had passed up. I am planning to read the book so I can savor John Muir's adventures, allowing the time to process and experience the mental imagery of a place still so beautiful, in words it is indescribable.

Narration

I found the narrator difficult to follow. He speaks quickly and this has constant very detailed descriptions.Americans may not have a problem (I'm English).

Great at .75 Speed

As per the other reviews it is read very fast. I found the .75 speed to work well.

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Title: Lewis and Clark

Author: William R. Lighton

Narrator: Kevin Stilwell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 70 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the years 1804, 1805, and 1806, two men commanded an expedition which explored the wilderness that stretched from the mouth of the Missouri River to where the Columbia enters the Pacific, and dedicated to civilization a new empire. Their names were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This book relates that adventure from its inception through its completion as well as the effect the expedition had upon the history of the United States.

Editorial Reviews:

The expedition commissioned by Thomas Jefferson and led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from 1804 to 1806 is a well-known venture to chart and explore the northwestern area of what became the United States. Here is an account in their own words of that journey, from the notes taken by Lewis and Clark. The audio contains countless remarkable stories, however it is very near to the original source document and Kevin Stilwell, who performs the journals steadily and unwaveringly, powers through the sometimes challenging accounts with journalistic gravity, rewarding any Lewis and Clark fanatic or student of early American history with a valuable and intimate look at one the countrys most renowned expeditions and its first impressions of the land.

Members Reviews:

I've never heard the word etcetera so many times

What disappointed you about Lewis and Clark?

Virtually every thing said in this book is repeated at least twice, making the book twice as long as it should be. This includes each date and who is speaking. After about a half hour you want to quit listening.

What did you like best about this story?

The actual stories told by Lewis and Clark are very interesting in spite of their being told twice for each day's story and each person's story for that day.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

No, it was slower because of both repeating the narrative and repeating the dates over and over again.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Lewis and Clark?

I actually wouldn't cut much of the story out except the repetitive stating of etcetera, etcetera over and over again.. I would just tell the story once instead of twice. That would cut listening time to about 30 hours instead of the 70 hours and 28 minutes that will take to listen to this story unless I go completely crazy hearing every passage repeated twice or more times and the word etcetera spoken thousands of times during that 70 hours and 28 minutes.Yet in those 30 hours you would hear every word Lewis and Clark originally wrote, missing nothing except the repetition.In fact, I may go to the LewisandClarkTrail.com site and just read their words exactly as they wrote them. It would be a bit harder since they are written verbatum with all of the spelling of that time included.An example of a passage I just listened to about 1 hour ago:September 30, 1804 (Camped on a sandbar in Sully County, South Dakota, just below the mouth of Cheyenne River)"had not proceeded on far before we discovered an Indian running after us, he requested to come on board and go up to the Recorees we refused. Soon after I descovered on the hills at a great distance great numbers of Indians which appeared to be making to the river above us, we proceeded on under a Double reafed Sail & some rain.